Ten Years At Last
by Sapre Kench
Summary: Ten Years after AWE, the Turner family will be reunited at last.
1. William Turner III

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. That is owned by Disney.**

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The man who fathered me has been away from this plane of existence for ten years today.

Mr. Gibbs always had time to tell me of the great adventures my mother and Uncle Jack had long before I was born. But I liked Mother's stories better. For one, she wouldn't go off into creepy monologues about the sea, and she wouldn't just tell me Davy Jones and the final battle with Lord Cutler Beckett. She talked about Will Turner, orphaned blacksmith and self taught sword master.

And as I run ahead of Mother singing the pirate song she taught me, all I can think about is Father. All my life I have wanted to meet him. Mother's story always painted him as a knight in shining armor. He had become my hero.

I waited at the top of a cliff over looking the sea. Mother had come over and put a reassuring arm around me. For once I felt like I needed reassuring. What would I do when I met him?

This man had never been there for me. He had never talked to me. He had never met me. But I loved him. Everyone who had known my father only tells me good things about him. It might just be respect for the "dead", but after listening to their story I wanted to be like him so bad. When I was young I used to pester Tai Huang to teach me how to use a sword for hours.

Because of growing up on the sea I've had many men in my life: Uncle Jack, Mr. Gibbs, Marty, Cotton, the entire crews of both the _Empress_ and the _Black_ _Pearl_. But there was always a void in my heart to be reserved for him one day. I never had anyone I truly thought of as a father figure, but today I would meet my father at last.


	2. Captain Will Turner

I have spent ten years ferrying souls to the next world.

I remember all the faces of the dead people who have been on my ship. They seem to haunt me. This job has taken a toll on me physically, emotionally, and spiritually. But it's almost over. I have done my time, I have done my duty, and I have earned my rest.

_One day on shore and ten years at sea. It's a steep price for what's been done. _My father had told me that the day I became apart of the _Dutchman_. But it would be all worth it for her. For Elizabeth, my wife.

It is our ten year anniversary and we haven't seen each other since our wedding day. If Elizabeth has been loyal after all these years, I will be free of the _Dutchman_ and I can spend the rest of my life with her.

In these years past, she was my reason for going on. Because of her I didn't give up on this demoralizing job and live with tentacles on my face. Unlike Jones, I had something to go on for. Or at least that's what I hope. A decade is a long time to wait. I don't think I could truly blame Elizabeth if she found someone else.

It has been very hard on me being away from her. I often find my mind turning to what-ifs.

What if I didn't stab the Jones' heart? I wouldn't be on this ship . . . I would be dead. There were times when I truly hated Jack for putting this fate upon me, but I now understand. Had Jack not made me stab the heart of Davy Jones I would be waiting decades until she died. Instead here I was waiting anxiously, like a child on Christmas Eve, for the sun to set and a flash of green to set me free.

And what if I had not been killed to start with? Elizabeth and I would be together. I can imagine us having a gaggle of children. Being a husband and a father, that is my greatest dream right now.

The time drew near and I couldn't wait a second longer. The sun in Land of the Dead had just touched the horizon when I gave the orders to bring the ship back to the realm of the living. We submerged and waited. The sun set far too slowly for me, and then, much like it had done on my first escape from this realm, with the flash of green, the water receded. And we were back in the realm of the living.

I couldn't contain myself. I rushed from my place on the quarterdeck to the ratlines. Carefree and happy to be back, I leaned over the side of the ship to get a better look at our destination. In sight was the island where Elizabeth and I had spent my last day on land before taking up my place as captain of the _Flying Dutchman_.

Off the island's northern shore I saw the anchored _Empress_. She was waiting for me. I couldn't suppress a smile. I was back at last.


	3. King Elizabeth Turner

Ten years ago today I was married on a pirate ship by a man who had once kidnapped me and my only witnesses being people I was killing. Minutes later my new husband died in my arms. A few minutes more and he was resurrected as the new captain of the _Flying_ _Dutchman_.

I haven't seen him since that day, but I have been loyal to him. I couldn't imagine loving any man but my compassionate, courageous Will. And because of that he will be allowed his freedom to join me . . . and his son. My heart went out to William. He had never met his father. But as the sun set and the Dutchman appeared on the horizon I felt his unbridled excitement. It was obvious he wanted to see his father just as must as me.

Together we descended the cliffs to get to the beach. All the while, my eyes are scanning the expanse of sand below us for any sign of my husband.

There!

I spotted him. He was down walking on the beach near the rocky outcrop where we had last said goodbye. His head turned from side to side, looking for me. He began to pick up the pace when he spotted me also. I started to run down the rough path to the beach. William was hot on my heels, but he fell behind against my longer legs.

I launched myself full force into Will's arms. He spun me around with glee before planting a passionate kiss on my lips. Tears of joy streamed down my cheeks. He hadn't changed a bit. The years had been good to him and he hadn't aged much. His wavy brown hair was still held back with the same blueish-gray bandana he had worn the last time he was here. And he brown eyes were still full of love. His scar had faded a bit, but was still a testament to what he had been through.

"Will . . ." Tears of joy had closed my throat and I couldn't even finish my sentence. Luckily, I didn't have to. Will understood my feelings and just pulled me in to kiss me again. This kiss was more gentle, saying everything without saying anything. When we finally broke the kiss I laid my head on his chest, inhaled his scent, and was just content at being in his arms once again.

As the legend goes: if lovers stay loyal, the curse shall be broken. And then I begin to hear it. _Thump. Thump. _Will's heart is somehow back in his chest. After all I've been through since meeting pirates and a voodoo priestess who turned out to be goddess, I don't question it. My arms just pulled tighter about Will, my husband. He is home to stay.

I looked back up at him but Will's attention was taken as he looked past me at William. In the moment, I had forgotten about him. I couldn't hind a smile as he looked at William, standing a little ways back watching, curious about this man who had fathered him but not sure how to break the ice.

Will bunched his eyebrows and cocked his head slightly. _What would a small boy be doing on this island watching their reunion?_

I couldn't suppress a giggle as realization dawned across his face. It was absolutely comical as his head turned to me, to William, and back to me. His eyes were looking for some support for his assumption. I just had to laugh at him a little more before nodding.

I wiggled out of his arms and nudged him towards his son. William came closer to finally meet his father. Will's eyes softened as the shock began to wear off. When we were engaged Will had told me of how he wanted children, and here he was now with William. Will sank to his knees to hug his new-found son. I teared up as I watched them embraced each other.

Will pulled his son back to look at him. He gave me a broad smile, "He has your hair."

"William also has your eyes," I said to tell him the name of his son. Will seemed proud to find that I had named William after him and his own father. I stepped forward and pulled them both into another embrace. Finally, here we all were. A family.

It grew darker as night came on the island. Will put one arm around me and the other around William and we started back towards the camp were my crew was cooking dinner. I saw the _Dutchman_ was also anchored by the _Empress_ to join in the feast. But as Will pulled me in for another kiss, I couldn't think about food. Just that Will was home at last.


	4. Bootstrap Bill Turner

A/N: I added this last chapter so that I would have a sort of epilogue and I wanted to do every member of the Turner family.

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Everyone on the _Flying Dutchman_ was given shore leave when we reached the island; it was the first time in ten years that most of us had seen the Realm of the Living let alone to have land under our feet. The Asian crew of the _Empress_ was a little weary of us at first, but after we brought out barrels of rum they gladly shared the food they were preparing.

As the feast started the men had a good time. This was really a time of celebration for us. Not only was this the closest thing the men have ever gotten to a vacation but our beloved captain of ten years would be free. Thanks to the love his beautiful wife, my daughter-in-law, he shall be free to stay on land with his family.

Since the _Dutchman_ always needed a captain, Will chose a man named Bernard Fokke to succeed him. Fokke had been on the _Dutchman's_ crew for a long time and Will trusted him to do the job. And the fact that he actually was Dutch made us all laugh. I think the _Dutchman_ will run smoothly under Fokke's command.

For dinner, I sat with the other crewmen of the _Dutchman_ since this was the last time I would be with them. I was now free myself, thanks to my son. Fokke had honored Will's ruling on my life so I would travel on the _Empress_ back to Singapore. No doubt my daughter-in-law could use a good sailor in the pirate empire she had inherited from Sao Feng.

I looked over at the three of them. Will was having trouble with the chopsticks his family was using, Elizabeth was smirking at her husband while expertly using her own, and young William was chatting away, happy to have a father.

I wonder if I had returned to Will when he was a boy, would he have had the same reaction as my newly found grandson? Once again I started feeling regret for my past sins. If I hadn't abandoned him to go pirating in the Caribbean, would I have still had my family? I had left Will with only his mother. And when she got ill, I wasn't there.

But Will turned out to be a good man without me. He was a strong captain on the _Dutchman_. He had made some major changes to the ship. The hundred year debt was no longer in effect. Any man could leave the Dutchman as he wished as long as there was a willing man to take his place and there were always men on the other side that were never ready to cross. Right now there are probably ten men at World's End lining up to take my place.

I have lived a good deal of my life under one curse or another, but now, for the first time in twenty years I was a living human again. At Last.


End file.
